How long for unemployment to be approved in NY - filed 2 weeks ago still waiting

The typical processing time for initial unemployment claims in NY is 2-3 weeks, but it can take longer if your claim requires adjudication. Since you're at the 2 week mark, you're still within normal timeframes. The 'under review' status usually means they're verifying your employment history and wages. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while waiting for approval - you can certify for those weeks retroactively once approved.

mine took almost 4 weeks last year and then i got all the back payments at once, so dont panic yet. the system is just really slow

If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor by phone, you might want to try Claimyr. I found out about it when I was stuck in adjudication for weeks. They help you get through to an actual agent - check out claimyr.com and there's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. It was the only way I could get answers about my claim status.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! I've been waiting 3 WEEKS and every time I call they say 'just keep waiting' like we don't have bills to pay. They make it impossible to reach anyone and then act like we're the problem for calling

Are you sure you completed all the required steps? Sometimes claims get delayed because people miss uploading their ID verification or don't complete the job search registration. Log into your my.ny.gov account and check if there are any pending items in your inbox that need attention.

2 weeks is actually pretty normal from what I've seen. My sister just got approved last month and it took exactly 15 days from when she filed to when she got her first payment